Lyft customers in Boston will enjoy a bonus perk starting this week: rides that drive themselves.

The self-driving test is part of a pilot program between Lyft and autonomous driving company nuTonomy.

In a statement, nuTonomy said Lyft riders in certain areas of Boston will get matched up with a self-driving vehicle when they request a ride.

The company said the partnership with Lyft was designed to help riders learn more about self-driving technology and to improve the technology as the pilot progresses.

"Based on feedback from pilot participants, nuTonomy’s engineers will adapt and improve our system, so that we can deliver an autonomous transportation experience that is extremely safe, efficient, and comfortable," said the company in a statement.

When nuTonomy announced the Lyft partnership in June, they said engineers will ride in the vehicles to observe system performance and take control of the car if necessary.

This is one of several partnerships for Lyft as it engages in a heated race with rival Uber to launch the first self-driving cars for its ride-hailing services.

In September, Ford Motor announced it would partner with Lyft, sharing information to speed up the launch of a commercial self-driving car service. It's expected to be fully operational by 2021.

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The U.S. automaker says it'll deploy its self-driving vehicles on Lyft's network within four years. As Fred Katayama reports, this expands Lyft's partnerships beyond Google and GM.
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